The Binky Saga...

As you all well know, Ayden loves his binky, or "bunk" as he calls it. A few months ago, we started cutting him back to only getting it at naptime and bedtime, and that went okay for a short time, and then we gradually regressed and now are back to him having it in his mouth at least 50% of his awake time, if not more. It didn't used to bother me, but now the mere sight of that thing blocking my beautiful little boy's mouth is driving me insane! Not to mention when he "mumbles" around it. It has become a common phrase in this house to say, "Ayden, take your binky out when you talk." Which he will, long enough to tell us what he needs, and then back in his mouth it goes. Sooo, all this to say, I am now on a mission to get rid of that thing once and for all. I decided today that he would not get his binky until naptime. I took it away as soon as we got up, and it went okay for about an hour. Then the screams of "Wanna Bunk! Wanna Bunk!" started. So I decided to try a trick that many of my friends have suggested-cut the tip out of his binky so that it won't feel right in his mouth. When I handed Ayden the altered binky, he put it in his mouth for a mere second, took it out, examined it, and handed it back to me, saying "No". Then he went about his merry way! I couldn't believe how well it worked... For about 20 minutes anyway!! Now, in the last hour, 3 binky's that have been missing for weeks have suddenly "re-surfaced". Chris and I had a feeling he was stashing them for when this time came!! So I am now in the process of collecting these binky's and hiding them, which I can tell you is not going well. I guess I could cut the tip out of all of them and just be done with it...but I am not sure I am ready to commit 100% to no binky at all, even at naptime and bedtime. But I am the one complaining about it, so maybe I should be the one to just suck it up (no pun intended) and end this binky saga once and for all...